Judge, 1920-03-27 · page 3 of 36
Judge — March 27, 1920 — page 3: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page, March 27, 1920 This is a satirical cartoon by Walter de Maris depicting two well-dressed people standing outside the Palace Theatre, considering whether to see "Moonshine Comedy." One person suggests they go elsewhere to "have a good cry instead," implying the film is so unfunny it's depressing. The joke likely references Prohibition (enacted January 1920), with "moonshine" being slang for illegally-distilled liquor. The cartoon satirizes either: (1) bad comedies made during Prohibition's early days, or (2) the absurdity of Prohibition itself as a source of dark humor rather than entertainment. The casual rejection of the theater suggests contemporary audiences found certain entertainment offerings disappointing during this period of social upheaval.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
@cig457369 Sian a Fash JUDGE 15 Cont a Cope “THE HAPPY eMEDIUM” ‘ond-class matter, October od-clase, matter, Octobe! 7 , = 5 Published Weekly by Leslie-Judge Company ‘Post Otice at New Work. New Yorx, Marcu 27, 1920 Pifth Avenue, New York City by Watren pe Manze “Shall we go in here? They say it’s awfully funny.” “No. Let’s go where we can have a good cry instead.” comicbooks.com